THE OVERLANDERS 67

mountains step by step; else would many turn back. But there were no faint-hearts in the camp that night. Even the Irishwoman’s two little children came out and gazed at what they could not understand.

The party now crossed a ravine to the main stream of the Athabaska. It was necessary to camp here for a week. A huge raft was built of pine saplings bound together by withes. To the stern of this was attached a tree, the branch end dipping in the water, as a sweep and rudder to keep the craft to its course. On this the Overlanders were ferried across the Athabaska. And so they entered the VYellow- head Pass.